DECISION (1) Rejects the notice as inappropriate for consideration under the class exemption at 49 CFR 1150.31, in STB FINANCE DOCKET NO. 34734; AND (2) Rejects, as moot, the notice of the continuance-in-control exemption in STB FINANCE DOCKET NO. 34735. Full decision here.

The “outing” of those writers on the blog trying to deceive readers is a credit to the integrity of the editorial staff of the blog. The fact that those bloggers felt it necessary to be underhanded says it all about the content of their messages.

No need to say more. Their actions speak for themselves. They do great disservice to all village residents.

i, for one, find it pathetic and disturbing that ONE individual would engage in such mentally challenged behavior like the “multiple commenter disorder syndrome” he/she/it has portrayed here. this person may be seriously in need of professional mental health assistance.

that this person brazenly thought they would get away with it when they were sniffed out by other legitimate commenters make this all the more amusing. SHAME ON HER?HIM?IT?!!!! you got what you deserved, bully. well done crotonblog for pointing out the fraud this commenter really is and taking appropriate action.

and i agree, this commenter’s sole purpose was to attack, attack, attack…why do you think SHE kept asking who was who in all of these nonsense posts SHE made?? to attack like SHE does in the gazzette thru her various pen names. seriously, be very careful around this person!!!!!! this person needs help. remember she was arrested before for in COH for vandalizing her next door neighbor’s property and was caught on video doing it!!!!! what does that tell you?????

LOL!!!
so there are no Culligans or Corsos in Croton, heh?
Gee, there doesn’t seem to be a Rooney either. Hmmmmmmmm. Could it be we don’t have listed telephone numbers? Nah! We simply don’t exist!!!!! LOL!

My name is Danny Corso Puppuluv. And who are you, Weewill, Mrs. Smith, etc?

You might want to see the Mack reports. The fed. monitor called Metro a
“dump” and
a “dump facility” and
a “dumping facility”

You also seem to think that CDD is somehow better than garbage. Become informed. It is a thousand times worse, a thousands times more prone to org. crime involvement, a thousand times more prone to cocktailing. Read the reports. No more garbage of any type in Croton. That’s what the Schmidt team stands for. There was a letter written by a resident named Harold Sole last year. I think it is time it got a re-play here.

December 2, 2004 - Gazette

To the editor:

Finally, the Croton Board of Trustees did the right thing and rejected Metro Enviro’s proposed deal.

Congratulations are due Maria Cudequest and David Goldman, and their many supporters for waging the good fight and winning. (I take it for granted that the language with which the Board turned down Metro’s offer precludes any possible change of heart, even if Metro should now proposed sweetening its offer.)

But why was it necessary for families of Croton to wage such a long and bitter fight? And why the secrecy from the Mayor and Trustees, with the exception of Trustee Schmidt?

I fully respect the right of our representatives (the Mayor and the Trustees) to vote for and support issues, even though they may not be popular, if they truly believe it is the right thing to do. In fact, in his book, “Profiles in Courage”, John F. Kennedy lauded the courage of various political figures who risked their careers by voting for issues not supported by their constituents because they knew, often in a larger sense, that it was the right action to take

But if something is wrong and clearly against the best interests of Croton families, payments of even larger sums of money doesn’t make it right or good. A tawdry deal remains just that and still gives forth an offensive odor, even when covered with an ample supply of dollar bills. And the Metro Enviro arrangement has always been a tawdry deal.

Croton is now in an excellent legal position, although it should have arrived there much sooner by never having entered into negotiations, and should not have agreed to a delay in the court process. However all that is past. Let us now go forward, determined to realize in full the benefits of the Board’s decision. And let us hope that the Mayor and the Board of Trustees have learned a lesson from this long drawn out struggle: Be more open with your constituents: listen and respond to what they say. A free exchange of views is beneficial to all.

Far be it from me to speak for weewill, who speaks very eloquently for himself, but I suspect what he was pointing out that the Metro Enviro site has never been permitted, not has it been found to garbage, and the fact is that puppuluv, culligan, wintermeier etc, insist on referring to M/E as a garbage dump, thereby invoking people’s worst fears - a bit like yelling fire in a cinema. I was asked to sign the original petition against M/E and informed in all seriousness that a “new garbage dump” was being brought into Croton.

I have to correct weewill. Garbage was brought to Croton when the Croton Dump was the open pit used by all of Westchester County to dump their garbage. While I didn’t live here then it must have been awful so I can see why some people are so frightened by this NIR/Regus proposal. That WILL be garbage of the worst kind.

Note to Puppuluv: you said you signed your own name but didn’t this time. Are you Maria Cudequest?

Think about it Agatha. Puppuluv and Culliganman (This reader was BANNED from Crotonblog for comment spamming on 12/06/05, see “A Penal Process Known as Banishment… Explained”) may be one and the same person. They are transparent as they make the same charges, using the same terms, and making the same charges in reporting the history of the ME site. No one wants garbage. Garbage has never been brought to Croton. The site dealt with construction debris, not garbage. No one wants trash anywhere but the fact remains that it must be handled. And unfortunately, land use rights and the law give us limited options. Regardless of what some choose to believe, both past and present officials do the very best they can to protect us from intrusion. And to get the very best may include trying to find out what all the posssibilities and options are likely to be.

Hi Agatha
In addition to being pro the Metro settlement, one need only review Gallelli’s letters to the Gazette and on the blog to see that she has also been pro negotiating with NIR-Regus. Also when X Trustee grant wanted to know why the board wasn’t meeting with Regus (after all she said, we’re not in litigation with them!) Mayor Schmidt said the board did not agree to do so. The Republicans made it clear that night, though Schmidt is a Democrat, that they would not meet with Regus, while Kane and Leo sat silent. It’s clear from the record just who wants garbage here now and who wanted it here then. But you are best served by coming to that conclusion yourself. Get the transcripts, videos, documents etc offered by a local newsletter or speak with those known garbage opponents in Croton to get them. You’ll have no trouble finding them. They like me, use their real names.

Thank you Culliganman (This reader was BANNED from Crotonblog for comment spamming on 12/06/05, see “A Penal Process Known as Banishment… Explained”) and Puppuluv for trying to answer my question so fast but I don’t think you got what I meant.

I don’t want to know who supported the Metro Enviro deal a few years ago. That deal passed away and then we won in court.

I want to know, like you and David Goldman said, there are CURRENT LEADERS who support making a deal with these new folks. Who are these leaders?

I want to make sure I don’t vote for anyone in office who wants to make a deal with these new folks. So please tell me who they are, in black and white, without all this confusing speechy stuff.

Thank you and I hope I’m not being too rude. I just think you keep writing these really long letters when a few sentences would do just as well.

Planning board chair Anne Galllei made a recommendation last year for the board to enter into the flawed and dangerous deal with Metro Enviro. The document was mentioned in a letter to the Gazette at that time but I cannot remember the author. However, I was able to get a copy of te document. The document is a letter dated Sept 23 2005, signed by Ms. Gallelli to the then board and says:

“Overall, the Planning Board feels that the proposed Settlement Agreement and the Amended Special Permit, as drafted, reflect an appropriate use of the area as far as this facility, Metro Enviro, is concerned.”

As for former officials, that is pretty obvious. Throughout the years, X Trustee Grat said everything from “Metro is a state of the art recycling facility” (it does not recycle and never has and given all its violations and the manipulation of the computer records to hide some of those violations, one can hadly call it state of the art). Then she showed up at a recent trustees meeting asked why the new board wasn’t meeting with Regus!!!!!!! You can get that from the minutes that are online at the village website.

You can obtain relevant documents, videos, transcripts, etc. that will answer your question by subscribing to a local newsletter that no one is allowed to mention here. Or you can try reaching Mr. Goldman directly. I am sure he will be willing to answer any questions you might have. He did for me. He has his own website at www.davidgoldman.com

If you haven’t picked up a copy of the Gazette yet, there is a letter in it worth reading. It is written by David Goldman. I have seen him speak at many board meetings over the years and like Cudequist, Pellici, Konig, Wintermeier, Tuttle, and all the other BI-PARTISAN residents who have consistently fought the presence of garbage in Croton, always speaks eloquently and to the facts.

I have a scanned copy of his letter which also addresses the STB issue and am pasting it here because it is one of his best yet. I am eternally grateful to these kinds of Democrats who have room for people like me unlike the insular nature of former officials who were inexplicably attached to garbage and revising their place in the history of this affair.

The average Croton resident isn’t buying their “we won the case because of what we did” or their constant advice on these issues which have been, and continue to be, consistently wrong.

11-28-05

Dear Editor,

In his recent letters to the Gazette Mr. Kauderer ignores much of the history of the Metro Enviro situation. He proposes the Village sign some kind of airtight deal with them. We had a very clear contract with them the first time around, yet they were still able to litigate. If there were such a thing as a litigation-proof contract, they would never sign it.

The prior board stated, in its decision not to continue negotiating with Metro Enviro last year, that they could not trust the company and that no monitoring could be effective. Somehow Kauderer claims Metro Enviro is now ‘a carefully monitored and screened waste transfer station.’ Last I heard it was closed.

There are possibilities other than the ones publicly promoted:

1) The recent Surface Transportation Board’s decision in Croton’s favor specifically demonstrates their awareness of the public safety issues outlined by New York’s Court of Appeals. It is also a testament to the Schmidt Board which did a great job of reaching out to county, state and federal representatives to get them involved in expressing their concerns to the STB, including Senator Clinton, Senator Charles Schumer, County Legislator Thomas Abinanti and many more.

2) Some compromise is possible if the Village stays on course. We have an even stronger legal team now with a proven track record. If the site owners really believe we’re willing to go all the way then they MIGHT decide to rent their space to another kind of business that would be within the guidelines of current Village zoning. What WILL hurt the Village’s position is if our opponents believe that the Board can be distracted from its position by those Croton current and former leaders who apparently have always wanted a deal with Metro Enviro. No reasonable person wants prolonged litigation but real compromise can never be based on a false foundation, and telegraphing weakness will never gain a thing at the negotiating table. Sitting down to talk with any of the new applicants to the Metro site—which some Croton past and present leaders seem to favor—would sabotage our current legal position and put us right back at square one in short order.

Bottom line: The decision to embark on our current course was not made lightly; it was based on a legal assessment that we stood an excellent chance of prevailing against Metro Enviro and the property owner, and also with the Surface Transportation Board issues. In light of the history here, any deal would be the same as losing since we know we’d be back in court in a very short time.

Right on Puppa and Bob W! This is a serious matter. It has ALWAYS been a serious matter.
And isn’t it funny that we’re always told that we’re inaccurate even when we quote directly from the records. Not once, NOT ONCE, has a response actually pointed to a record, just endless claims that we are inaccurate. That’s why so many residents said enough is enough and cared enough to show up meeting after meeting after meeting with the records in hand. Kudos to all those residents, most of whom were DEMOCRATS!!! As for the STB, it could have gone no other way. The statute was clear. And would you believe it, now you actually have the same people who got us into this mess, and their friends too, saying we should cut a deal with Allied, Regus, whoever, whatever, every time we move a step forward. WHY? WHY? WHY? Hardly a day goes by that a resident doesn’t say, especially after these two column letters appear advocating that we get into bed with these characters, what in God’s name is going on here? What is this fascination with garbage? Hasn’t this village had enough? In the old waste reports written by I think it is Morris Hinchey, Croton was known by two sayings:

This is a great village. Great villages don’t allign themselves with this industry. They run for the hills. Sane communities don’t welcome garbage. And Croton got a little saner last March. Democrat Michelle Celarier said it best to the board in July 2004:
As a lifelong Democrat, it saddens me greatly to think that my fellow Democrats on the board would go against the interests of the people of
Croton, regardless of the pressure that may be being brought to bear upon you by other government officials or the money that can be made off a deal. I have spoken with many other Democrats—some of whom are new to the village and were not here during 1998 when Metro Enviro opened—and they are stunned to see how reactionary our local Democrats are, at least when it comes to the village.

Weewill
No one said that citizens influenced the fedseral monitor. Wat they did do, hoever, and I know, I am one of them, was to go the authorities when teir local officials ignored their concerns. Here is just one example of far too many. Residents noted that anothr company appeared to be operating out of the Metro site. Indeed, a review of te yellow pages showed that this particular company WAS not only operating there but using the Metro address AND a Croton telephone number. They took their observations and finds to the village majority. they dithered and ignored them. Citizens then went to the moitor and gee, whattya know? Two years later the investigation would be made public that this company WAS operating there..in violation of our permit. Give Grat andf Elliott credit for this victory? We’ll stop playig the blame game when our officials accept responaibility for what they did instead of tryig to claim that our court victory was some sort of legal strategy. The good news is no one believes it except their most die-hard supporters and those ranks continue to thin. I know. I used to be one of them.

Note to Ms. Smith: I didn’t write the poem. It was sent to me. Here’s another one from another resident that you can complain about. It needs to be sung to the tune of Jingle Bells!!!!!

Make that deal!
Make that deal!
For it’s-not-too-late.
Garbage in and Garbage Out.
This is Croton’s FAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEE.

SOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Make that deal.
Make that deal.
If you’ve got the trash.
Croton’s here to help you out.
We really need the cash!

Reply to Weewill:

Your loyalty to your party is to be commended but let’s not try to rewrite history!

We can thank Leo for joining Republican Trustees Schmidt and McCarthy in their vote to pursue a legal battle against Metro Enviro. However, Elliott and Grant opposed that resolution. They and Mr. Waldman preferred to negotiate a deal and don’t deserve any thanks for our successful victory. They were dragged at every step along the way until finally they admitted that the deal offered by Metro was UNENFORCEABLE!

You make another valid point. It took a Federal monitor to uncover Metro’s violations. Private citizens and Village officials performing inspections couldn’t do it. When private citizens tried to enforce Village regulations, they were rebuffed with the comment, “We might be accused of harassment (of Metro).” I still have a tape from one inspector who resorted to video taping one of her inspections as a proof of violations. This only shows that a paid monitor may not be effective and our best alternative is to avoid waste transfer station at all costs.

One final point, Republicans and many Democrats are overjoyed that we have won our battles to date against Metro & Regus/NIR. Ms. Smith and Gallelli are correct when they claim that this is a serious matter. I just wish they would support the fight instead of creating political fodder for the next election!

The above post adds nothing to the argument. Pupuluv is so filled with hatred and venom toward the prior democratic administration and so blinded by allegiance to the republican agenda, he defies all credibility. It reads like this administration`s recent campaign literature and might have been used as a glossy political handout. It’s so far from accurate that it borders on fiction.

Could he possibly believe that ths small group of angry republicans (I know, I know, Cudequest is an independent)) could in any way shape or form influence the federal monitor, Walter Mack, or the FBI? Ridiculous! Isn’t he glad that Mr. Mack uncovered things that no one other than a duly court-appointed investigator had the authority to uncover?

Enough of this blame/credit/blame game. I say thanks to Bob Elliott, Seymour Waldman, Georgiana Grant, Leo Weigman. They are the real heroes in this awful drama. Metro Enviro is finished, done, gone, through. I hope this present administration is as good as the last one. Time to move on to this next battle.

Sorry Bojangles, but our victory in the courts was based on a case built NOT by village officials, but SOLELY as a result of the federal monitor’s investigations and the input of citizens who went directly to him instead of the board, as well as the FBI’s involvement, etc. The village board did not act on anything brought to their attention until compelled to do so by the issuance of the reports. The village literally HAD NO CASE without the efforts of Walter Mack. Please consult the record. You should also see the depositions that Mr. Mack took from Allied employees. They tell you exactly how much the village was monitoring the operation. In the deposition of Metro employee Joe Dallvehcchia, Mack asked if Metro was concerned that the village might catch them fudging the tonnage figures, etc. Dallvecchia says no because the village was “lazy” and their oversight was “incomplete”, etc. Even when the village was given a videotape made by a citizen monitor of the company actively engaged in a violation, the board majority refused to act. X trustee Grant, when asked why violations were not being issued for known and ADMITTED violations said that a violation “wasn’t really a violation if they (Metro) fix it”. The prior admiistration laid NO groundwork for our victory. The victory was laid by the feds and Walter Mack. We would not have known about the tonnage falsification without Mack. We would not have known about the industrial waste without Mack. We would not have known about the Ohio consent order without queries made by X trustee McCarthy and now trustee Brennan. That’s not opinion. That’s a fact reported in the village’s files, the inbvestigative reports,the transcripts, the depositions, and at least a dozen articles from the NY Times, thge Journal News and the Gazette. Fortunately for us all, these people are no longer in charge.

As I read all the postings on the crotonblog one fact remains constant. Feelings and emotions run high on both sides of the argument and to date none of the usual writers have changed their opinions.

I must say from an “outsiders” perspective, the other fact that remains constant, is well earned thanks are due to the former administration and village attorney for laying the ground work for the outstanding decision in the Courts in Albany.

That work and patience won the first round against these huge mega transfer station operations. The board made the right decision allowing Metro to operate until a pattern of violations had been determined. Without that legal groundwork the courts would not have had a record on which to base their decision.

Thanks to them and I urge this new board to proceed and work as dilligently to win what’s surely to be the next round and the ones thereafter and the one after that…………

“Meanwhile, there was weeping and gnashing of teeth among Democrats (See Ms. Smith’s reaction in item 7 above).” I was merely commenting on how ridiculous your “poem” was. A five year old might have done better.

Who are you trying to fool? Let’s be honest and examine the facts although I’m sure you may find that difficult to do!

Rob DeFrancesco posted the initial comment (Item 1). In Item 3, blasted him for his age and the Republicans for making him their chairman. That was the first reference to your so called “off topic”. After that, the rest of us responded in defense of Mr. DeFrancesco and the Republicans!

Since you’ve finally admitted defeat, I’ll be glad to address the STP issues and try to educate you about the facts.

First, you are right that we should thank Trustee Kane for calling the NIR crisis to our attention. We should also thank Trustee Weigman for pulling together a package of information about the Regus/NIR threat.

While we’re thanking everyone, how about thanking Maria Cudequest for providing Trustee Weigman and the Village officials with most of the information needed to combat the NIR threat. That’s right, Maria Cudequest, the same Independent who fought every environmental threat to Croton since Metro Enviro. The same Maria Cudequest that the Democrats continue to attack despite her efforts and those of her supporters who reported many of the environmental violations created by Metro, Regus and NIR in the villages of Croton, Mt. Kisco, Mamaroneck and Ohio. Yes, the same Maria Cudequest who rallied residents to write to county, state and federal legislators asking them to support Croton’s battle against Regus/NIR. (By the way, these bipartisan legislators should be thanked also!)

Now that we’ve thanked everyone, let’s see where the dichotomy between Republicans and Democrats occurred in regards to the STB decision regarding Regus/NIR.

For the Republicans, the solution was always clear as far back as 1998. They refused to negotiate with any waste transfer moguls! So they fought Metro & Regus/NIR as they promised to do during the last election and won each time!!!!

Meanwhile, there was weeping and gnashing of teeth among Democrats (See Ms. Smith’s reaction in item 7 above) who went on the attack by criticizing the Republican position and rehashing the same options presented by our lawyer, Mr. Girrard, when Metro tried to negotiate a deal. These options are on the same chart that he presented at a public Village meeting and which Ms. Gallelli continues to present on the BLOG and in the Gazette. They are not new and I’ll be glad to provide a copy to anyone who wants a copy of the flowchart used that evening if they need proof!

On the other hand, Trustee Kane & Weigman fought the rest of the Village Board vehemently when it came to staying the legal course and fighting the court battle. At least they took a position…NEGOTIATE A DEAL! As best I can determine, they felt that negotiating with the enemy would bring a “nice piece of change” to alleviate future tax increases. Little did they realize how important the Metro legal battle would be. The NY Supreme Court decision supported the position that elected officials had a responsibility to protect their constituents and established forever that any NY community would be able to oust any firm that threatened the local environment regardless of how minor their infraction(s) might be.

I’m more concerned about those so called Democratic leaders like Ms. Gallelli who is a wonderful volunteer but whose position still remains a mystery on which options she considers the must advantageous for Croton. That was one of the issues in the last election…Democrats always needed more information even after years of vitriolic debate. We need decision makers in time of crisis…not debaters especially when for most, the only option was not to negotiate. (Exercising Eminent Domain remains a viable backup but all other options are a form of capitulation that can only lead to future lawsuits.)

We may still end up with a waste transfer station in Croton if we lose the battle with the Westchester Solid Waste Commission but at least the Supreme Court decision assures that if that transfer station violates environmental regulations, they will end up like Metro Enviro.

Instead of needless debate and discussion, I urge Croton residents to join the fight by contacting the members of the Westchester Solid Waste Commission as suggested by Maria Cudequest. The email addresses for key members provided courtesy of Maria are:

David - Culliganman — Check above and see who’s preoccupied with this young man’s politics. I believe weewill was RESPONDING to Bob Wintermeier who started the “off topic” dialogue. Let’s get back to issues.

Weewill, your preoccupation with this young man’s politics is off topic. The STB decision has been a favorable one, young people are becoming involved in our community Democrat, Independent and Republican alike,and “experience” is not necessarilly a good thing for Croton. Look at what “experience” has done for the village as far as garbage is concerned. Officials who were warned over and over again about everything from the original permit to the rail spur to the dangers of a deal. A new day has come for Croton. Democrats know this. I only hope they can find someone new to run in March instead of relying on the “experience” of the very people who brought us all to where we stand now. Kuds to Rob, Wintermeier, and everyone else who has the courage to post under the own names. THAT is having the courage of one’s convictions of everything from garbage to the village debt. All else is just suspect and I assure you, is not resonating with the vast majority of Democrats

Mr. W., your most recent post is defensive and ridiculous and shows just how tunnel-visioned one can be. It’s a big jump from a single opinion of one democrat to knowing how “democrats feel about young politicians?” As usual, you put your spin on other’s thoughts.

Now for the real issue at hand, you missed it completely. No one is trying to put young Rob down. It’s the poor judgment of the local republican committee that should be put down. It’s commenable that Rob is interested in his future. It’s right that he is searching and finding his own path. That’s what teenagers do. Who knows, he may someday become a democrat.

Bill Clinton was rightfully proud to shake the president’s hand. I hope Rob will someday be able to do the same as part of his growing process. “That experience was so moving that he decided to become more active in local politics and make a difference in the lives of American people.”

“More active in local politics” is a far cry from being the Chair of the local party. Rob needs a lot more living under his belt before he can even understand the issues. You grown up republicans have trouble understanding them so leave the poor kid alone and let him make his own decisions.

As a high school senior, he joined a youth organization to visit Washington to meet the President. In fact, he was first in line to shake the President’s hand. That experience was so moving that he decided to become more active in local politics and make a difference in the lives of American people. As a college freshman, he pursued his goal by interning with a state politician where he learned how government worked and what it was like to be a politician.

No, the person is not Rob DeFranceso. It was Bill Clinton. Rob has never expressed this lofty goal but I consider him more than qualified for future office if he decides to pursue a similar path!

Imagine how Mr. Clinton would have felt if Democratic sympathizers like WeeWill put him down and chastised him for being too young for politics. Since Mr. Clinton lives right down the road in Chappaqua, perhaps WeeWill can share his opinions about youthful politicians with the ex-President. I’m sure he’d be amused about WeeWill’s opinions regarding young potential politicians!

Since it is evident from WeeWill’s comments that Democrats consider the opinions of the young meaningless or less valuable than those of the Democratic elders, I want to offer these aspiring young future politicians a place in the Republican Party. They’re welcome to contact me if interested. Some may be more comfortable speaking with some one their own age like Croton’s Republican Committee Chairperson, Rob DeFrancesco. Either way, their opinions will count and they will be welcome in our party. They are the future leaders of our country and we urge them to enter politics early! If they don’t find us accommodating, they can always try the Democrats if they’ll identify themselves!

What a great country where anyone can be what they aspire to be! God bless it!

And a very happy thanksgiving to you young man. I hope somewhere in your heart you’ll be able to find a couple of Democrats to be thankful for. There is a great big world out there and we all have lots to learn. Honest, constructive criticism is always to be welcomed.

I’d like to point out a typo in the second paragraph, wondered should be wandered. Sorry to consume more space on the blog, but felt it necessary to right my wrong before weewill begins to correct my grammar.

Your accusations of puppetry are ill founded, and frankly are expected from someone who is too afraid to post with their real name. I guess using the pseudonym offers you the luxury to be void of intellectual integriy.

You made several valid points which I would have been more than happy to address. I’m not thin skinned and I certainly can take criticism, in fact I welcome it. Unfortunately by making personal attacks you wondered down a treacherous road and I choose not to follow. To the best of my knowledge, I have never met or spoken with you. So I pose the question, what do you base your judgments of me on?

I’m not sure where you get your facts or your attitude for that matter. You are certainly not credible when you cannot debate on the issues without becoming personal.

If you would like to have an honest dialogue void of negative and personal attacks, you may call or e-mail me. Despite being from opposing Party’s I feel that we can all move forward together and accomplish a great deal if we work towards the best interests of the residents.

He certainly must be one extraordinary young man. To have the experience, insight, and knowledge you claim he has is remarkable. He must have started his involvement when he was very, very young to have achieved such wisdom. I would hope he’s had some time to be a normal kid and involved in his middle and high school activities but can’t imagine he had the time as he was assimilating all this political knowledge and experience.

And it speaks a lot about his maturity when a person your age feels the need to speak for him. A couple of high school essays about controversial matters is hardly well rounded proof of his capabilities. And what a shame that this young boy chooses to spend his free time with “other republicans in Croton, Cortlandt and Westchester”. That does support a very complete picture of important issues.

I have to believe the Croton republicans had no adult willing to chair the party. Who can blame them with all the dissension they cause among themselves and in the village. Such a young and inexperienced 18 year old can hardly be expected to keep the troops in line given their past history of in-house fighting.

And no, I will not come out of the closet (strange choice of words, Bob.) I have no interest whatsoever in proving you wrong.

And as for a “curtain of Ignomiious aonymity” Pretty pretty big words for young Rob. He may have to add them to his vocabulary homework if they still do vocabulary homework in high school.

I’ve worked and watched Rob DeFrancesco develop politically over the past 3 years and can assure readers that he stands on his own before the senior members of the Croton Republican Committee. In addition to his responsibilities as Croton Republican Committee Chairperson, Rob was an active member of Rob Astorino’s campaign and established a web site for young Westchester Republicans. He’s written several essays on controversial topics that he’s shared with me and his insight is remarkable! Much of his spare time is spent with other Republicans in Cortlandt and Westchester and he undoubtedly knows more about local politics, policies and resources than most Croton Republicans due to his experience with these party members. In fact, his knowledge and involvement with County politics helped to bring additional party resources to bear during recent elections. He also represents the forgotten members of the community…the young… and despite his age, all respect his opinions. These are some of the reasons why we unanimously voted him as our Chairperson! Rob’s a real leader and the future of our party! Much credit can be given to his parents for rearing such an exceptional man. We need more Rob DeFrancesco’s in both parties! Hopefully, more young MEN & WOMEN will join him!

One final point, Rob, like most Republicans, is not afraid to identify or express himself on the blog or at Village meetings unlike WeeWill and his cohorts who hide behind a curtain of ignominious anonymity. WeeWill can prove me wrong by coming out of the closet and debating Rob and other opponents publicly if he/she can stand the heat!

I suggest you grow up!! NOBODY finds this situation humorous and while you are out there celebrating because you think you have bested the people who felt (and may still feel) that the village board was making a big mistake with their intransigence, remember that this situation is far from over and if NIR is not the operator at the property, Greentree can easily find a company that is already a railroad. Don’t be too smug.

I received the following humorous email and wanted to share it with those following the STB decision:

For the “Lets Make a Deal” Crowd

Oh woe is me
There is no glee
We’ve just heard from the STB
With luck there’ll be an appeal
Then, maybe we can make a deal
In the meantime, we’ll just blog
Even though we’re in a fog
We don’t care what people say
We just want it to be our way
We’ll write volumes
And use many columns.
Our message is clear
You should not fear
Garbage is good
We’re just misunderstood.
So, no matter how you feel
Let’s just make that deal!

Interesting position and comments Culliganman. You must make sure you pass them on to the new chair of the Croton Republican Committee. Now that he’s 18 and old enough to vote in the upcoming elections, he needs to have ALL the facts.

And all the facts include thanks to former Mayor Bob Elliott and his administrations for laying such solid legal groundwork for success in the courts. Had they not stood firm and led this village through the worst times in its history, when he and his board were harrassed and insulted and accused of the ugliest improprieties, Metro Enviro might still be operating.

Reaching this point has been a long and painful process. The inflappable commitment, energy and courage of the former board deserve recognition and credit. History will attest to Bob Elliott’s leadership and skills long after so many of his detractors have disappeared.

Rob Di IS young but this immediate assumption that he is anyone’s puppet is somewhat annoying. In fact it seems to be carte blanche-allied to anyone who HAS done their homework and disagrees with the notion that we should welcome these puppies into Croton. The STB decision is an excellent one. Yes there is a crack left open to re-file but as our excellent attorney pointed out this evening, the bar is raised considerably, due diligence escalates considerably, and a massive financial investigation would begin as well. Judging from the multiple lawsuits filed against these individuals in two states, the poor trading of NYRR stock, the failure to pay fines and their standing in contempt of consent orders, the USEPA seeking to make them potentially responsible parties in the Warren health emergency and now possible fines with respect to Sunny Farms, I’m not sure these jokers can stand to be without income for as long as the larger process would take at the STB. We have far more to fear from the county’s Mr. Berger. But not to worry, I’m sure his actions haven’t escaped notice. The board is doing what they were elected to do. Rid this community of its tawdry association with the waste business. We are one step closer to doing this despite the massive errors committed by this board’s predecessors. Vive la Schmidt, Steinberg and Brennan—and yes, Weigman and Kane too for FINALLY getting on board with the rest of us.

Beware young Mr. DiFrancesco, you’re playing with the big guys now. Try to express your own opinions and not echo what the party regulars say. They’ve been wrong many times in the past. Be careful not to become their puppet. You have too much to offer on your own. Unfortunately your recent posting sounds as if it was dictated to you by the old party regulars. You lose credibility by mouthing someone else’s ideas. For example:

1) “They did what they thought was right” - what was that - they sure didnt tell the public what they did. How do you know that?

2) Who says the Mayor was “belittled”. How do you know that?

3) How come you’re only proud of Schmidt, Brennan and Steinberg? What about Kane and Wiegman. Especially Kane who is credited with discovering the involvement of NIR and alerting the board to it when it first surfaced. But then it’s clear to see the party regulars would never tell you that.

4) How did you arrive at “in favor of Croton”? You do realize the application was incomplete in the opinion of the STB and NIR was “invited” to refile

5) “ensured that the relationship with waste industry is over”? You do understand this battle is far from over?

You are commended for getting involved but your youth and inexperience won’t protect you from hard debate and criticism. We hope you’ll look at the record and research issues on your own.

While the Board and its attorney were successful, please remember that this might not be the end of the line; rather, it may just be the end of the beginning. The STB’s opinion states, in summary, that they were rejecting the manner in which NIR applied for an exemption. NIR still has two available, apparently more onerous methods to try to get an exemption. Specifically, the STB wrote:

“Because we are rejecting NIR’s notice of exemption … NIR will have to file either a petition for exemption under our case-by-case exemption procedures … or a formal application … if it desires to pursue Board authority for the transaction. Any filing must include NIR’s entire case-in-chief. Either the petition for exemption or the application process should allow the Board to compile a record sufficient to resolve the issues that have been raised about this proposal.”

Thus, the Village may be at this for some time to come if NIR follows either of the other methods mentioned by the STB in its opinion.

Despite being belittled ( See: Schmidt Stands Up Gruson Again ) for not negotiating with Regus, the board stayed the course and did what they knew was right.

The decision by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in favor of Croton displays that persistence pays off. I’m very proud of Mayor Schmidt, Trustee Brennan, Trustee Steinberg, and the professional staff in the village along with the attorneys. They have demonstrated that when patience, skill and know-how are applied to serious matters the outcome will most likely be one that benefits the resident. In this case they have ensured that Croton’s long-lived relationship with the waste industry will soon come to an end.